AUTHOR'S NOTE 



IT was in the year 187- that I first met with the individual 

 whose sporting reminiscences are recorded in this narrative. 

 He had then, though still comparatively young, been 

 already seventeen years in India after five spent at sea 

 as cabin boy and seaman, having started life as a stowaway 

 when about fifteen years of age. 



As I came to know him better, and had learnt some- 

 thing of his life, I recognized that his had been no ordinary 

 existence but one full of strange and interesting experiences, 

 specially in connection with the hunting of big game. 



His stories of these adventures interested me greatly, 

 and seemed so strange and out of the way as compared with 

 others that I had read or heard of, that I tried to induce 

 him to write and publish them, but he declined absolutely, 

 having as he declared a strong objection to seeing his 

 name in print. 



I came across him again often during my long service 

 in India, and each time he had something new to tell me 

 some fresh hunting story or interesting adventure he had 

 experienced, till I had collected quite a budget of his 

 stories, for I always wrote them down. 



I met him again, many years later, in England, shortly 

 after he had retired by which time he had added con- 

 siderably to his stock of interesting adventures with big 

 game, and delighted in relating his experiences, though 

 disinclined as ever to publish them. 



Finally, seeing it was useless attempting to persuade 

 him, yet confident that his reminiscences would make 

 interesting reading, I suggested writing them for him 

 using his diary, and the very elaborate notes he had made 

 from time to time. After some discussion, he eventually 

 consented, but only on condition that his name should not 



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